Monday, August 25, 2014

Welcome to day four of the Running with Ollie DOG WEEK. I'm on vacation this week and I couldn't think of a better way to keep you entertained than to introduce you to some of my favorite runners and their furry faced four-legged running partners! Today, we will meet Meet Lynda and Stryker from Fitness Mom Wine Country.

When I am on vacation, every day is Friday!

Hi, Lynda. Tell us a little bit about your favorite running partner.
Stryker is our family dog. He is a rescue dog and came to our home around Thanksgiving two years ago. He is our fat and spoiled love. He sleeps on the bed with his own special blanket. He hates the water, so bathing him is difficult. He loves to play with our cat {he thinks it is another small dog}.He stays home with me all day while I blog, take care of the house and work out. He is a two year old chihuahua/pomeranian mix. Stryker goes to Color Runs, Mud Runs and goes out with me when running the neighborhood. He is short like myself, so he and I have a good slow pace. When Stryker gets tired, he retires to his crate and I am able to continue my run.

Where is your favorite place to run with your pooch?
We live in Sonoma, CA and our town is so cute and perfect for running. Either through the city plaza, downtown or a quiet winery road. I have many places to pick from around here and love it.

Have you ever raced with your dog?

Stryker goes to Color Runs, Mud Runs, and 10ks. He has not actually entered a race, but stays on the sidelines and waits.

The warrior dash dog!

Tell us about a running moment that made you proud.
I did my first "un-official" 10k with a girlfriend of mine, and that made me realize that I can do more than I thought. I am working towards my very first half marathon {this June} here in Napa, CA and am keeping my fingers crossed. Stryker will be waiting for me at the finish.

What important running (or life) lesson can we learn from our dogs?
Just enjoy being outside. Slow yourself enough to notice what is around you. Bring plastic bags with you all the time. Be aware of other people and dogs around you {not everyone is dog friendly}. There is no reason to hurry, life is a gift and being outside running or walking with our dog makes me feel relaxed and grateful for each beautiful day.

Do you want to tell us anything else about you or running with your dog?

When the kids go out with us, we like to have sprints with Stryker. We take his leash off {a quiet road} and the kids are at one end, I am at the other and I let him go. He runs as fast as he can towards the kids, turns and runs back to me. This makes us laugh and Stryker gets a good few sprints done.

Thanks, Lynda for sharing Stryker with us! You can keep up with Lynda and Stryker on her blog and social media, links below.

Are you a runner who would like to be featured with your favorite furry four-legged running partner? Just fill out this form to be considered for a future furry Friday feature. (Bonus points if you can say that five times fast.)

If you want to check out some other great running dog blogs, check out Top Dog Running Blogs (spoiler alert: clicking on link will lead to cute pictures of running dogs).